


Green-Eyed Jealousy

by sailorkittycat



Category: British Actor RPF
Genre: F/M, Jealousy, Workplace, oblivious OC
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-28
Updated: 2016-11-28
Packaged: 2018-09-02 21:45:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,740
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8684575
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sailorkittycat/pseuds/sailorkittycat
Summary: Cherry is oblivious to the advances of a coworker, however jealous Tom is not





	

Nothing could dampen my mood. Even though it was raining cats and dogs outside and it sounded as though someone had royally pissed off Thor, I was still considerably cheery. My happiness wasn’t due to the fact that it was Friday or that I was wearing my newly purchased dress but that my boyfriend of two years, Tom, was coming home after spending a good four months filming in the States. He had texted me earlier to let me know that he was boarding his flight and that he would be home at noon, waiting for when I got off from work at five. He had added, rather slyly, that he couldn’t wait to make up for lost time, insert winky smiley face here. It had taken me a couple of seconds to register that particular message but it lead to the inevitable warm cheeks and giggles and difficult decision of what I should wear. I didn’t own anything that was particularly alluring. I liked vintage dresses and cute prints; things that weren’t exceptionally seductive but Tom had commented many times on how much he liked the way I dressed; although on occasion he would express it in odd ways…

“You look like a dirty librarian” he had snickered one morning, as he watched me struggle to tame my hair. It was the first time he had connected my work with its pornographic counterpart, eliciting wide eyes on my part and a chuckle on his. 

“This” I huffed, pointing to my messy hair which resembled tumbleweed “is all your fault.”

“Oh, I know” he purred, rising to wrap his bare arms around me from behind “did I happen to mention I like dirty librarians?” 

I smoothed down the skirt of my plaid dress almost subconsciously at the memory. Tom had always been naturally flirtatious with me, so I had just assumed that that was the kind of person he was instead of the more obvious notion that he was trying to ask me out. I was hopeless; terrible at reading between the lines when it came to people. I needed someone to be perfectly straightforward with me; otherwise I wouldn’t understand what they wanted. Tom had grasped that part of my personality early on and had catered to it so that I never felt lost with him. He was an amorous man and in just a couple of hours I’d be able to indulge in that fully.

I had spent my day planning the abundance of tours that were going to be happening next month; the British Library often received many visitors and quite a few requested a proper tour of the branch in St Pancras. I had gotten so lost in my work that I scarcely realised the time. I organised my belongings and slipped on my coat, ready to get home to Tom when I heard a soft knocking sound. Liam, my co worker poked his head around the door and smiled apologetically.

“Hi Cherry, can I ask you a quick question?” Although Liam worked directly with the collection as a Lead Content Expert he often sought out my help with his problems. It had started with innocent queries about the library itself that he would have just out of pure curiosity but then it seemed to evolve into my own opinions over his work; he wanted a second opinion on some smaller decisions which I thought was a little odd. Surely he should ask his own team? I shook it off though; maintaining my happy to help persona. It’s not that I minded much, I liked helping people; it was just that sometimes what would start as ‘a quick question’ would spiral into staying an hour or two extra just to lend him a hand. Liam was a nice person; smart, funny, friendly. It wasn’t torturous to stay a little extra but I was eager to get home, especially since Tom had sent me a text earlier about a surprise dinner he had made, since he had the time.

“Liam, I’m sorry but I’m afraid I can’t today” I said. I instantly felt guilty saying the words. His face had dropped a little, I could see the way my rejection was making his cheeks sear.

“Oh, well, it’s okay” he said; even his voice was sad.

“Um, well, maybe I can stay for five minutes” I wondered aloud. He instantly perked up, making me feel a tad better.

“Great!” As per usual, the five minutes turned into ten, then twenty and suddenly a whole hour had passed. My phone buzzed in my pocket, interrupting Liam half way through speaking.

“I’m so sorry” I apologised, looking down at my phone to see that Tom was calling “I have to take this.” I stepped out of the room, answering the call.

“Hi Tom” I said weakly, was he going to be mad?

“Cherry, where are you?” He sounded worried “is it traffic?”

“I haven’t even left the library. Tom I’m so sorry, I’ve been working late and it didn’t even occur to me to tell you. I’m sorry.”

“No, no” he half laughed, it sounded like a laugh of relief if anything “it’s fine, I was just wondering where you were.”

“I’m heading home now” I promised “I’ll explain everything over this fabulous dinner you told me about.”

“We can’t wait for you to come home” he joked. He didn’t sound angry. I had never known Tom to be angry, he was always patient and calm with me even though I feared he would be mad at me for the small screw ups I managed to do on a daily basis; things like forgetting to pick up the dry cleaning or buy more milk. He’d just smile and hold me as I panicked “Don’t worry, its fine. Everyone makes mistakes.”

***

After I practically pounced on Tom at the door; attacking him with as best a bear hug as I, a five foot five girl could give a six foot two man he insisted that I go freshen up while he pulled dinner out of the oven. I had deposited my leather satchel in our room and gone to the bathroom to reapply the lipstick I had lost from kissing my beloved.

When I had returned downstairs, I discovered that dinner was in fact roast chicken which was a welcome change from my usual ramen noodles. I asked Tom about his flight and what he did when he got home and he asked me about my day and what had kept me.

“My co worker Liam” I explained “he’s been getting into an awful mess recently. I hope he’s okay.”

“What do you mean?” Tom’s brow furrowed as he tried to understand.

“He keeps asking for my help with stuff so I stay behind to give him a hand” I said, sipping at the wine in my glass “do you think he’s okay?”

“I’m sure he’s fine” Tom said, still frowning.

“He broke up with his girlfriend a while ago, maybe he’s feeling lonely?” I imagined Liam at home eating by himself in the dark. The image was so depressing I felt a pang in my chest “poor Liam” I said.

“I really think Liam is fine” Tom pressed, sounding irritated. He exhaled and I watched as his tongue darted out to wet his lips “so he’s been asking you to stay late to help him?”

“Yeah” I shrugged, sensing the conversation was a little tense.

“Just you?”

I nodded “I think it’s because we’ve spent so much time together; I guess we’re friends” I smiled at the idea, hoping it would ease Tom as well. We were both silent as Tom contemplated what I said.

“He’s really nice” I said in defence, Tom’s eyes that had previously been staring at his empty plate flicked up to my face.

“I just don’t want him taking advantage of how sweet and naive you are.”

“I’m not naive” I frowned.

“Darling, you didn’t realise we were on our first date until I tried to kiss you.” That was embarrassingly true. When he had asked if I wanted to have dinner with him, I didn’t think anything of it. He had come to the library for some research on a role he was preparing for and had asked me for some assistance. I had helped him as per his request and he managed to smoothly change the subject from medieval manuscripts to my plans for Friday night without me even noticing. Not that I minded awfully, it would be a lie to say that Tom hadn’t caught my eye with his light blue shirt and tall frame. Still, I viewed the dinner as completely platonic which was stupid looking back. He had given me a bouquet of yellow, pink and orange flowers which made me smile.

“These are for you” he said, handing them to me.

“I’ve never seen these kind of flowers before” I said, gazing at them.

“They’re called Ranunculus flowers” he told me, with a soft smile “they mean I am dazzled by your charms.”

I should have clocked what he was getting at but I was too enchanted by the flowers and their meaning to really understand what he was getting at. He had told me multiple times how beautiful I looked but still, I suspected nothing. It wasn’t until we had come back to my apartment when he told me that he had a wonderful time that I started to get first date vibes. It was confirmed by his leaning down to kiss me that I squeaked and leaned back.

“What are you doing?” I asked quickly.

“Well, I was trying to kiss you” he said and when I made a small gasping sound he moved back a little and looked troubled “I’m sorry, I should have asked if it was alright with you.”

“Is this a date?” I whispered.

“Um… Yes?” He looked a little offended, as if his advances had gone by unnoticed. Which I suppose they did.

“I’m sorry! I didn’t realise!” I said. I became painfully aware of how dumb I sounded, especially since Tom was starting to distance himself from me “no wait Tom! I’m sorry” I said holding his hand to keep him from moving “I’m so stupid; I’m terrible at knowing what people mean. I need them to be completely straightforward with me otherwise it goes over my head. I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay, maybe I was too subtle” he said, chuckling softly.

“No, I’m just an idiot” I groaned, looking down at the ground.

“No, you’re not” he brushed the hair out of my eyes “It’s actually quite sweet, really” he said, trying to make me feel better. We both laughed.

“Can we try again?” I asked hopefully, stepping a little closer to him “the kissing part, I mean.” He answered with his lips against mine.

“Okay, maybe I’m a little naive” I said “but I’m getting better at knowing what people actually mean; like when you texted me this morning.”

“Telling you I was getting on my flight?”

“No. When you said you couldn’t wait to make up for lost time” I nudged him and winked, making him laugh.

“Hmmm, whatever could I have meant by that?”

***

Our Saturday and Sunday were glorious. I would have spent the entire weekend in bed if my stomach hadn’t complained so much about being fed. We’d gone on a long walk through Hampstead Heath on Saturday and had spent Sunday watching films. We were all set to go to bed when my phone rang.

“Who is it?” Tom asked, he had just come out of the shower and was tugging on a pair of pyjama pants over his black boxer briefs. I was so distracted by him that I almost missed his question.

“It’s Liam” I looked at Tom who was already staring at me “Hi, Liam. Are you alright?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. I’m just checking in, you seemed to be in a hurry on Friday, I hope everything was okay.”

“Oh, yeah, I got home fine.” I said, touched that he was checking in on me.

“I was just worried about you; I would have been heartbroken if you had been attacked by a pack of wolves or something.”

I laughed “Because there are so many wolves roaming the streets of London.”

“You can never be too careful” he said “did you do anything exciting this weekend?”

“It was a bit of a lazy weekend” I said. Tom was impatiently trying to get my attention by nuzzling against me and peppering my neck with kisses.

“Mine too” he said and I giggled. Partly because of how similar Liam and I were but mostly because Tom’s beard tickled my skin. I ran my fingers through his hair, clinging to the soft strands.

“Maybe we should do something productive on the weekend, together” Liam suggested. Tom was so close to me that he could probably hear what Liam was saying. His hands had decided to join in with his campaign for my attention; finding their way under my shirt which made me squeak in surprise.

“Something the matter?” Liam asked.

“Um, n-no, everything is fine” I said, trying to keep my tone level as Tom’s hands smoothed over my stomach and set a course for north.

“Hang up” Tom growled in my ear.

“Uh, I’m really sorry Liam but I’m a-afraid I’m going to have to go.” I said, Tom, who seemed pleased by my following of his orders showed his gratitude by adding his tongue into the mix. Something that guaranteed the loss of speech.

“Are you sure?” Liam sounded a little annoyed but it couldn’t be helped.

“Yeah, sorry, bye!” I said quickly hanging up on him, succumbing to Tom.

***

I had to opt for something with a high collar in order to draw attention away from the hickey Tom had gifted me with last night. I had tried my best to make it look less obvious with some concealer and the crisp collar of my dress had hidden a majority of it but you could still see some of it; and the more I looked at it the more obvious it seemed. I tried to comfort myself with my excuse that I had burnt myself with my curling iron but I still worried.

“Good morning” Tom sang as I entered the kitchen where he was making pancakes. He greeted me with a couple of kisses and presented me with a plate of pancakes. For someone who was so rough last night, he sure could be sweet. “I like your hair” he complimented “is something special happening at the British Library today?”

“Yes, it’s a special exhibit called Cherry needs to hide a hickey” I said sarcastically, narrowing my eyes at him. It was all his fault.

“You weren’t complaining last night” he said, without doing so much as batting an eyelash.

“Tom” I groaned “everyone’s going to see it.”

“I’m counting on that” he said mischievously “come on you’ll be late” he added before I could say anything in complaint. I finished my tea and collected my bag and jacket before kissing him goodbye.

“Make sure you remember what I said last night” he whispered darkly in my ear before giving me his usual kiss and reminder that he loved me. Who could forget what he had said last night? In the midst of the heat and sweat and pleasure, he had held me against him and said “never forget who makes you feel like this.” My skin still tingled from the thrill of last night’s activities. Yes, he had been rough and left me with bruises but he had also been generous; unsatisfied with me just experiencing one orgasm. No, he had lavished me with five. I couldn’t really be mad at him after such an extraordinary evening. 

When I had arrived at the library, I got settled into my work and was beyond relieved when no one pointed out the patch of darker skin on my neck. That was, until during my lunch break when I managed to catch up with my friend and colleague, Verity.

“Looks like someone had fun last night” she said with a wolfish grin; always true to her bold nature “that’s quite a love bite.”

“Is it really obvious?” I asked nervously, trying to brush my hair in front of my shoulders.

“It’s not too bad” she said honestly “I always knew Tom was secretly kinky.”

“Shut up” I said but I couldn’t help but giggle.

“I guess there’s some truth to the whole Tom in the streets Loki in the sheets rumour.”

“Oh, my God!” Our conversation dissolved into laughter.

“What’s so funny?” Liam asked, approaching us.

“Cherry’s night time antics” Verity piped up, earning a sharp nudge from me.

“It was my curling iron” I said, crossing my arms “let’s leave it at that.”

“I don’t know” Liam said, cocking his head to one side “you seemed awfully distracted last night when I was talking to you.” His tone was jokey and light but I still felt a little guilty.

“I’m terribly afraid of spiders” I lied. Well, technically it wasn’t a lie, spiders were terrifying but spiders weren’t what were distracting me last night.

“Oh God, don’t even get me started on Cherry’s arachnophobia” Verity said, rolling her eyes; playing her supporting role. Liam’s features softened and the three of us decided it would be best to leave it at that.

***

As I returned from the last tour of the day, I noticed that my office door was left ajar instead of shut. I frowned and took a second to prepare myself before opening the door fully. Half of me expected Liam to be in there, waiting for me, wanting help with something or the other but instead it was Tom. He was sitting in my chair, dressed in a tight white shirt and a silver tie.

“Tom, what are you doing here? I thought you had an interview?”

“It got cancelled” he shrugged and then smiled “I thought I’d pick you up instead of you having to take the tube back.” He stood up and approached me, coming a little too close to be considered appropriate for the workplace.

“Are you even allowed to be in here?” I fretted but he just laughed.

“Technically, no but I did explain to the woman at reception that I just wanted to make sure my amore got home safely and she didn’t seem to have a problem with it.” He enclosed me in an embrace and I melted in his arms instantly; letting him kiss me.

“You’re very persuasive” I pointed out “people are putty in your hands.”

“Oh?” He seemed to want to test it literally and I had to bite my lip to stop any audible sounds coming out of my mouth as he ran his hands along my curves “hmmm… your desk looks quite sturdy. Would you agree with that?”

“I guess so, why?” I tried my best to focus on what he was trying to get at but my confused expression only made him smile more devilishly than before.

“Well…” Tom leaned in close enough for his lips to just be able to brush mine. He was always one to tease. Now, however, was not the time especially as someone had just cleared their throat at the door.

“Cherry?” Liam was standing at the door; he looked confused more than anything.

“Liam” I tried to unlock Tom’s arms but he insisted on one of them being secured around my waist. Well this is embarrassing “how can I help?”

“I was wondering if we could carry on our discussion from Friday” he said “especially since you had to leave so soon” his eyes wandered to Tom for an instant before returning to me.

“I don’t know” I admitted, looking up at Tom to see what his verdict was. I was sure he’d rather get home than have to sit around and wait for me.

“I don’t believe we’ve been formally introduced” Liam said, ignoring what I had just said.

“No, I don’t believe we have” Tom agreed.

“Liam Slate; Lead Content Expert and a close friend of Cherry’s” he offered his hand.

“Tom Hiddleston; actor and Cherry’s boyfriend.” They shook hands. The room had become so tense I was on the edge of squirming.

“I’m sorry for keeping her all these nights” Liam said “she’s just so willing and we have so much fun, sometimes we just get carried away.”

“Yes, Cherry is very kind to those who need help” he said, stressing the words ‘need’ and ‘help’. It makes Liam’s smile drop “if I didn’t know any better I’d say it sounds like you trying to steal my girl.” There’s uncomfortable laughter.

“Tom, that’s ridiculous” I interjected “he’s just asking for help; if he were trying to attract me, surely he wouldn’t do it by trying to engage me in all those boring conversations. I practically fall asleep during our discussions; I’m just so tired by the end of the day” I yawn and lean onto Tom, confident that his arms will support me. Tom smirks and Liam looks annoyed. I hope I didn’t hurt his feelings…

“Maybe instead you should do the logical thing and get someone from your own team to help you” Tom said calmly “don’t you think so, darling?”

“It would make the most sense” I concurred “and I’ll be honest, sometimes I’m not interested. You need someone who’s going to be genuinely excited about the discussion at hand.”

“Really?” Liam seemed taken aback by my bold statement. Probably due to the fact that I’d always try to be enthusiastic about the subject matter; it was the polite thing to do, right?

“You heard her; she’s not interested” Tom said and before Liam could retaliate Tom added “my, my, I’m glad we sorted this out. So you” he pointed at Liam “will seek help from your own team and you” he turned his attention to me “will be home on time.”

“I guess you settled it” I said as Tom grazed his lips on my temple “bye Liam, good luck!” Liam didn’t respond; he looked a little shocked at the events of tonight. I retrieved my belongings and left with Tom.

“Tom?”

“Yes?”

“I think the desk at home is sturdy enough, wouldn’t you agree?”


End file.
